Castillo, Holdridge to receive first annual Sherratt Scholarships

David Castillo and Sara Holdridge (Photos courtesy Pioneer Athletics)

September 20, 2012

By Steve Connolly

Cal State East Bay Athletics is pleased to announce that the first annual Sherratt Scholarship will be awarded for 2012-13. Each year, the Pioneer coaches will select one male and one female student-athlete to receive a scholarship from the Richard and Susan Sherratt Scholarship Endowment, which the couple started in 2009. This year's recipients will be senior baseball player David Castillo and senior softball player Sara Holdridge.

A 1970 graduate of Cal State East Bay, Sherratt was a member of the baseball team for two seasons. He was 16-6 with a 2.80 ERA as a pitcher for the Pioneers, earning All-Far West Conference honors in 1969. In 2002, he was inducted into the Cal State East Bay Athletics Hall of Fame, and last year he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university for his contributions as a business and community leader.

"I'm glad to be able to help David and Sara toward the pursuit of their academic goals," said Sherratt. "Obviously, I'm very proud of the great success they've had on the baseball and softball fields and wish them well in the coming season and in pursuit of their goals in life. I'm very pleased to be able to help Pioneer student-athletes in this small way."

Castillo, a native of Pinole, is in his second season with the Pioneers after transferring from Diablo Valley College. The senior is now working on a degree in kinesiology. Castillo was a mainstay in Cal State East Bay's lineup in 2012, playing in 41 games as the team's primary catcher. He batted .254, ranking fifth on the squad with 14 RBI and sixth with 33 hits. He also added value defensively for the Pioneers, committing just five errors on the season. Castillo, who models himself after former big league catcher and current St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, threw out 17 would-be base stealers from behind the plate and added another three pick-offs.

Bob Ralston, head baseball coach at Cal State East Bay, has high praise for his catcher's performance and character. "David was one of our leaders on last year's team," Ralston said. "He was our starting catcher, and he represented East Bay in a positive manner on and off the field. He played and practiced with tremendous energy, doing all the little things well and competing at a high level. This scholarship in honor of Rich Sherratt will be well represented by David."

Holdridge enters the 2013 season as a three-year starter for Cal State East Bay. She is also currently pursuing a degree in kinesiology. The senior from Murrieta was one of the team's most productive hitters in 2012, serving primarily as the Pioneers' designated player. She started 48 games, hitting .365 with a .438 on-base percentage. Holdridge led the team in home runs (13) and slugging percentage (.723) and ranked second in doubles (10) and RBI (45), while striking out just 16 times in 137 at bats. She batted .369 in conference games and was named first-team All-CCAA.

According to head softball coach Barbara Pierce, Holdridge has been an integral part of the program's success. "Sara is a true Pioneer," Pierce noted. "She's going into her fourth year at East Bay, and she is extremely proud of helping to build this program. She had a phenomenal junior year for us, earning first team All-Region and first team All-Conference honors. I am very excited to watch Sara in her senior campaign."

The baseball and softball teams will both begin fall practices next week, but fans will have to wait until February to see Castillo, Holdridge, and the rest of the Pioneers back in action.